Car-coupling.



W. & J. KELSOL CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 17, 1914.

Patented July 27, 1915.

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KW (115W COLUMBIA PLANOckAPl-l co..\vAsmNq'mN. D. C.

W. & J. KELSO.

CAR COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17. I9|4.'

1,148,024. Patented July 27, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. 81. J. KELSO.

CAR COUPLING.

ION FILED 1UNE1 APPLICA 1914. 1,148,024. Patented July 27, 1915. I I 4 3 EEEEEEEEEEEE 3.

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WILLIAM KELSO AND'lOSE-PI-I-KELSO, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO MGCON WAY &,- TQRLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GAB-COUPLING.

Specification'of LettersPatent. U Patented Jul 27, 1915.

. Application fileddfune 17, 1914.. Serial N 845,568.

gheny and State of -Pennsylvania,have in' ventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andxexact description. of "the invention, such as 'will enable others skilled'in the artto which it appertains to make'andaise the same.

Our invention relates to the construction of car couplers of the Master Car Builders type and is especially designed to aiforda simple durable and eiii'ciently operatingconstruction in which the knuckle lockingand knuckle opening mechanisms whereof may be actuated either by atop operating *release mechanism or a bottom or underneath release mechanism withoutthe necessity of making any'changes in the-coupler structure or altering the relative arrangement of any of'its parts.

To this end the principal "feature of our invention consists in providing the coupler with a combinedlock and-knuckle opener actuating device which projectsdownwardly beneath the coupler headso as to be capable of being engaged and operated by an under-' neath release rigging, the device for actuating the lock andi operating the knuckle opener being adapted tobe engaged and caused to perform an unlocking operation by a lifting member which projects abovethe top wall of the coupler head and which is itself adapted to be engaged and actuated by atop or overhead releaserigging, the device for actuating the-lock and knuckle opener and the said lifter member being so formed and related that the latter may immediately drop back intothe couplerhead' and reassume its normal position after having actuated the combined'l ock lifting and knuckle opener actuating device and being unaffected by the movements of the latter.

Our invention also involves certain other features relating to the form of parts, their, relations to each other and theirinode of operation, as will hereinafter more fully appear and be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, the scopewhercof is pointed out in the claims, Fig-ure'l is a plan-view of'a'coupler embodying our invention, a portionofthe upper; part of the coupler head being broken away in orden'to disclose the internal parts of=th e-couple1m Fig. 2 isaside elevation of the coupler illustrated in Fig. 1, a portion, ofzthe coupler head being. broken away and theseverall parts'being shown in the positions they occupy when the coupler is locked. Fig. 8 is avertical section,:taken on the line 33, Fig.1, lookingfrom the rear toward tlie'front: of the coupler, the-parts being in locked position. Fig/1 is a-view corresponding to Fig. 3, but illustrating the relative positions assumed bythe various parts when the coupler is unlocked and the'knuckle rotated'outwardlyby means of the upwardly extending lifting member. a view corresponding to- Fig. 3, but-illustrating the position of'the parts when the coupler lock is set in-unlocked position to permit a subsequent-unlocking rotation of the knuckle. Fig. 6 is a detail view, partly in plan:and )artly in section on the line 66, Fig. 3,=the.kn uckle opener being shown in plan in-theposition it occupies when the coupler islockedg and the knuckle and lockbeing omitted. Fig. 7 is a detail view on the line 77,-Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows, the knuckle opener being shown in elevation. 'Fig; 8 is a detail perspective view of the lock; 'Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the upper portion of the device by'which b'oththe lock andknuckle opener are actuated; and", Fig. 10 is a detail horizontal section'taken in the plane of the line 10 1o,' Fig. 3. In the drawings, 1 indicates the coupler headandQ the knuckle,which is pivotally mounted on the coupler head in the usual mannerby means of the knuckle pin 3.

The lock 4 bywhich the outward rotation of the knuckle 2 isxrestrained is preferably of thevcrtically movable, gravity typezthat is tosay, it is preferably a lock which, by its own weight, tends to remain in or return to the locked position. The lock is guided in itsvertical movements 'and prevented from tipping or moving forwardly. by vertically extending ribs or shoulders 5 and 6 which respectively extend in front. of the laterally extending lugsor flanges 7 and 8 with which the lock 4 is preferably provided. The rib or shoulder 5 nearer the guard arm side of thecoupler head preferably extends fromtop to bottom or the coupler and the-corresponding shoulder on Fig. 5 is also flange 7 on the lock 1 likewise preferably exhead terminates at its lower end a suflicient distance above the floor of the coupler to permit the tail of the knuckle 2 to swing outwardly without interference therewith, and the adjacent lug or flange 8 of the lock 1 is likewise shortened vertically so that, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the tail of the knuckle 2 may extend under the same and thus have an extended bearing contact with the side of the lock 1. When in locked position the lateral face of the lock 1 stands adjacent to the corresponding vertically extending face of a short lug 9 on the coupler head, the top of said lug being preferably inclined to form a lock-set seat 10. At the rear of the lock-receiving opening in the coupler head and on the guard arm side thereof the coupler head 1 is also preferably provided with a vertically extending rib or shoulder 11 whose lower end, which is about midway between the top and bottom of the coupler, forms a stop or shoulder 12 that 1s adapted to cooperate with the lower llftlng member 13 to form means for preventing the lock 1 from accidentally assuming an unlocked position when the coupler is in service. The ribs or shoulders 5 and 11 upon the interior of the coupler head are spaced apart suliiciently far not only to receive the later ally projecting lug 7 on the coupler lock 1, but also to afford clearance for the hooked end 11 of the upwardly projecting lifting member 15 when the latter is drawn upwardly to unlock the coupler, or cause the lock 1 thereof to be set in lock-set position, or to actuate the several parts involved in the operation of throwing the knuckle 2 to open position.

The lock 1 is provided with means whereby it may be caused to assume an unlocked position through the instrumentality of an upward movement of the lock actuating member 13, said means preferably consisting of a 32111 of rearwardly extendinglugs, 16 and 11, respectively, between which the upper lifting member 15 eXtends. To permit the lifting member 15 to have considerable play in the direction of length of the coupler when performing its duty of actuating the movable mechanisms of the coupler, the upper portion of the rear face of the lock 1 and the forward face of the laterally projecting portion of the lug 16 may be beveled somewhat as respectively indicated at 18 and 19 in Figs. 1 and S. The under face 20 of the lug 16 and the corresponding face 21 of the lug 17 are beveled or inclined laterally in the same direction to correspond to the similarly inclined faces 22 and 23, respectively, near the upper end of the lower lifting member 13, said several inclined faces cooperating with each other during the lifting of the lock 1 to cause the lifting member 13 to be displaced laterally so that the lockset portion or projection 21 thereof may extend over and rest upon the lock-set seat 10 on the interior of the coupler head.

The under face 25 of the lock-set projection 21 is preferably inclined to correspond to the inclination of the lock-set seat 10, but the inclined faces 22 and 25 are preferably divergent toward the knuckle side of the coupler head so as to give the lock-set member 21 a splayed or flaring form. By this means, as will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 5 of the drawings, the lock-set member 21 cannot become accidentally dislodged from its seat 10 after the parts have been brought to the lock-set position, as the lock 1 must be raised before the member 13 can move laterally toward the guard arm side of the coupler head to permit the disengagement of the lock-set projection 21 from its supporting seat or shoulder 10. When, however, upon the outward rotation of the knuckle 2 the inclined face 26 thereof engages the lower face of the lock 1 the latter is raised sufliciently to permit the lock-set projection 21 to slide laterally down the inclined lock-set seat 10 until it becomes disengaged therefrom and drops upon the correspondingly inclined upper face of the lower rearwardly projecting lug 27 with which the lock 1 is provided.

In addition to those structural features already mentioned, the member 13 is also preferably provided with a laterally extending projection 28, which, as shown in Fig. 3, normally projects into the opening in the lower wall of the coupler head through which the member 13 extends. Upon the initial upward tilting movement of the member 13, whether the same be actuated directly by release rigging devices extending below the coupler head or by an upward pull upon the upper lifting member 15, this lug 28 by engaging the adjacent wall of the opening in the bottom of the coupler head serves, in conjunction with the inclined faces 20 and 22 upon the lock 1 and lock-set projection 24-, respectively, to guide the upper end of the member 13 so that it will move outwardly from beneath the locking shoulder 12 upon the interior of the coupler head. In order that the member 13 may be raised by the upwardly extending lifting member 15, the member 13 is preferably provided toward the guard arm side of the coupler with a hooked portion 29 the under face of which is inclined downwardly toward the knuckle to correspond to the correspondingly inclined upper surface of the hook or lateral projection 11 at the lower end of the lifting member 15. By thus providing the hooked members 11 and 29 with opposed inclined faces, the lateral movement of the upper end of the member 13 necessary to permit it to clear the shoulder 12 on-the interior of the coupler head is I facilitated when the movable parts of the coupler are actuated through an upward piull gupon the upper lifting member 15. At its-lower end the member13 is provided with a laterally eX- tending arm 30 which is adapted'to actuate a pivoted knuckle opener 31; and it is also preferably provided with an opening 32 which is adapted to form a/connection with a side or-an underneath:releaserigging. The movements of the arm 30 are preferably guided and controlled by a camway 33 that projects downwardly beneath the floor of the coupler head andwliich may be conveniently formed. integral; therewith. member 33 is preferably of box-like form, being open at the bottomand having its innor face provided with an upwardly extending slot through which the outer end of the actuating arm 30 for the knuckle opener projects. In order-to prevent the bottom of the member 1.3 from oscillating in the direction of length of thecoupler the outwardly 1 turned end 3% of the arm 30 is preferably made of such length that itextends substantially from the rear wall 35 of the camway to the front wall36 thereof. To cause the forwardly projecting end 34: of the arm 30 to operate easily and without binding in the camway 33, and-to increasethe leverage of the force supplied to the knuckle opener 31 to rotate the same outwardly, the inner face of said portion 3% is preferably beveled somewhat as indicated at 37.

The knuckle opener 31 is pivotally connected to the coupler head by means of a pivot pin 38, its pivotal center being beneath the knuckle 2 and its plane of rotation being preferably oblique to the-longitudinal axis of the coupler. For convenience of assembly and repair the knuckle opener 31, which is formed as a bell crank lever, is preferably fashioned with a slot 39 which is adapted to receive the pivot pin 33, the knuckle opener thus being capableof being placed in assembled position by passing it downwardly throi'lgh the hole in the lower wall of the coupler head, simultaneously turning it so as to cause its slotted end 39 to properly ongage the pivot pin. To provide a suitable bearing face for the engagement of the outer end 34- of the arm 30, the lower end of the knuckle opener lever 31 ispreferably fiattened, as indicated at 40.

In order to permit the upper portion of the member 13 to be inserted into the coupler head from below, the floor of the coupler head 1 is preferably provided with an opening (see Fig. 6) having a branch 41 which is adapted to allow the passage of the lock-set projection 24 and having a branch which is adapted to permit the entrance of the hooked portion 29 of the member 13.

After the upper end of the member 13 has The camway entered the interior of the coupler head 1', it ismoved rearavardly to the proper assembled position in which it is maintained by the lock 4, which latter isinserted through the mouth of the'coupler head. As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the lock 4-, when in locked position, preferably rests upon the top of a=lug 13 which projects upwardly a slight distance above the floor of the coupler head 1.

The construction being substantially such as hereinbefore pointed out the operation of the coupler will be as follows: Assuming the parts to be in locked position, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, an upwardly acting force applied to the member 13 by an underneath release rigging mechanism, will cause the upper end of the said member 13to simultaneously move upwardly and laterally until the face 23 thereof has .passed from beneath the corresponding shoulder 12 on the interior of the coupler head. This initial lateral movement of the member 13, is elfected not only because the upper end of said member has a natural bias to swing laterally toward the knuckle 2 when the member 13 is lifted by an underneath release rigging, but is also positively eifected by the cooperation of the inclines 20 and 21upon the lock 1 and the corresponding inclined faces 22 and 23, respectively, upon the member 13. The continued upward movement of the member 13 causes the lock 4 to be raised suiiiciently to permit the knuckle 2 to rotate to open position, the lock-set projection 24 moving laterally into engagement with the lockset seat 10 upon the coupler head 1. In this position of the parts, which is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the look a is maintained in unlocked or lock-set position, so that the knuckle may be subsequently opened. If the member 13 be caused to execute afurther upward movement, the arm 30 projecting laterally from the lower end thereof engages the lower face 10 of the knuckle opener 31 and causes said knuckle opener to rotate on its pivot pin 38, thus pressing upon the rear of the knuckle tail and forcing the knuckle 2 to open position. Upon the withdrawal of the force acting upwardly upon the member 13 after the knuckle has been opened by the operation of the knuckle opener 31, the lock 4 drops until it rests upon the upper surface of the tail of the knuckle, the member 13 being suspended from the lower lu 27 of the lock and the lower face 25 of the lock-set projection 24 being somewhat below and out of alinement with the lockset seat 10 on the coupler head, so that, upon the tail of the knuckle 2 being withdrawn from beneath the lock 1 when the knuckle is closed, the lock 41 and member 13 will immediately drop to their normal or locked positions. It will be noted that when the look, lock-set and knuckle opening mechanisms of the coupler are actuated through the instrumentality of an underneath release rigging, as just described, the upwardly eX- tending lifting member 15 is in nowise affected.

When the lifting member 15 is actuated to cause it to move upwardly the hooked end 1A thereof engages the hooked upper end 29 of the member 13,the mating inclines upon the engaging faces of the hooked members 14: and 29 causing the upper end of the member 13 to'move laterally toward the knuckle until the face 23 has passed from beneath the corresponding shoulder or stop 12 upon the interior of the coupler head. Upon a continuance of the upward pull upon the lifter 15, the unlocking, locksetting and knuckle opening operations of the several devices of the coupler are performed in precisely the same manner heretofore described. As soon as the switchman or operator ceases to apply an upwardly acting force to the lifting member 15, such lifter immediately drops back into the coupler head, regardless of the positions of any of the other parts of the coupler. Ihis is a matter of importance on locomotives which are to be coupled with cars having overhanging buffers, since the coupler presents no vertically projecting locking parts which are apt to be struck and broken by the lower edge of the car bufier. It is also a matter of advantage where couplers are to be applied to flat cars, particularly with a bottom operating coupler, as no parts project above the car floor.

The lock 4 is prevented from accidentally assuming an unlocked position by the cooperation of the upper end of the member 18 with the stop or looking shoulder 12 upon the interior of the coupler head, these parts constituting what is commonly termed in the art a lock-to-the-lock. As will be readily appreciated from a consideration of Fig. 3, the lock 4. can perform but a slight movement toward unlocked position before the face 23 of the member 13 comes into engagement with the correspondingly inclined shoulder 12 of the coupler. As the upward movement of the member 13 is thus arrested, and as the latter, through the lock-set projection 24, rests upon the lock 1, said lock is thus prevented from accidentally assuming an unlocked position.

lVe claim:

1. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, vertically movable means projecting downwardly beneath said coupler head for actuating said lock, and vertically movable upwardly projecting means whereby the said lock may be actuated from above said cou pler head, one of said means being adapted to be moved independently of the other to cause said lock to assume an unlocked position.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, means projecting through the lower wall of said coupler head and operable from beneath said head for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, said downwardly projecting means and said upwardly extending means having a sliding engagement whereby said downwardly projecting means may cause said lock to assume an unlocked position without effecting an unlocking movement of said upwardly extending means.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, and means for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, said means including a plurality of rigid members one of which extends upwardly through the coupler head and one of which projects downwardly through the coupler head, the said downwardly projecting member being movable independently of said upwardly extending member.

4 In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a knuckle-opener device movable with respect to said lock, and means for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, said means being movable with respect to said knuckle-opener device and including a lock-set device adapted to engage said lock and a member connected to said lock-set device and adapted to actuate said knuckle-opener device.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, means projecting downwardly through the coupler head whereby the said lock may be caused to assume an unlocked position, and means extending upwardly through the coupler head whereby said first-named means may be actuated, said means being movable laterally with respect to each other, and one of said means being provided with lock-set devices whereby the lock may be supported in unlocked position while said knuckle is in closed position.

6. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a knuckle-opener device movable with respect to said lock, and means for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, said means being adapted to prevent said look from accidentally assuming an unlocked position and being provided with a vertically and laterally movable member ill) which is adapted to engage and actuate said knuckle-opener device after said lock has been caused to assume an unlocked position, and said coupler head being provided with a cam-way which is adapted to guide said member by which the knuckle-opener device is actuated.

7. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, a knuckle-opener lever, and means for actuating said knuckle-opener lever, said coupler head being provided on its underside with a cam member which is adapted to control the movements of said actuating means.

8. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle,

and means prO ecting downwardly beneath the coupler head for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, said means having a portion which is adapted to engage said coupler head to thereby prevent said lock from accidentally assuming an unlocked position and including a lock-set device whereby said lock may be supported in unlocked position while the said knuckle is in closed position.

9. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, means projecting downwardly beneath the coupler head for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, and means whereby said downwardly projecting means may be caused to move laterally, then move vertically and subsequently again move laterally.

10. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, said lock being provided with an inclined face, a lock-set device adapted to engage the inclined face of said lock and to be shifted laterally thereby and to be retained in lock-set position by said lock, and means movable with respect to said lock-set device for actuating the latter to thereby cause said lock to assume an unlocked position.

11. In a car coupler the combination with a coupler head having an inclined lock-set seat, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, and means for causing said lock to assume an unlocked position, said means being provided with a splayed lock-set projection which is adapted to simultaneously engage said lock and said lock-set seat on coupler head to thereby sup port the lock in lock-set position.

12. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, said lock being provided with an inclined face, means projecting downwardly through the coupler head whereby said lock may be caused to assume an unlocked position, said means being provided with an incline which is adapted to engage the inclined face of said lock and being also provided with a lock-set device, and an upwardly extending device adapted to engage and actuate said means, said means and said device being relatively movable.

13. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle pivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, means operable from beneath and projecting downwardly through the coupler head whereby the lock may be caused to assume an unlocked position, said means being also adapted to engage said coupler head to thereby prevent said lock from accidentally assuming an unlocked position, and an upwardly extending device adapted to engage and actuate said means.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM KELSO. JOSEPH KELSO. Witnesses:

J. W. HARTLEY, FRANCES L. SPRAGUE.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'atenta, Washington, D. 0'. 

